Direct Guidance by His Mercy

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One sunny day I took Guru Maharaj and his sevak team for a morning walk on the beach. Singapore beach is usually sunny. On that walk, there was some discussion about Raganuga-bhakti. There was another great Vaishnav there who was particularly speaking to Russian devotees while emphasizing that topic.

It was Hrishikesh Maharaj, an American disciple, who introduced this topic with a question related to how all of us should go to Raganuga-bhakti. The discussion went on for a while and Guru Maharaj was very patient while listening. At the end of the conversation, I told him directly that I do not have a good background and I don't come from a favorable part of the world. I continued to explain that my Guru Maharaj, [Srila Bhaktivedanta] Swami Maharaj instructed me to do sadhana bhakti and I am not qualified to do Raganuga-bhakti because of my background.

Guru Maharaj replied while simply folding his hands in pranam and said, "This Maharaj who is speaking is a great Vaishnava, I am nothing." Just that was his reply: only to say that he is a great Vaishnav. It was a simple gesture, no more than that. I reflect back upon this whole incident that morning on the beach and remember how Bhuta Bhavan Prabhu removed his chadar and held it high up to give shade to Guru Maharaj from Sun. That I remember. To me, that incidence is teaching that seva is more important than anything else...

Guru Maharaj is very merciful. We should pray and chant the Sri Sikshastakam Sloka 5, (written by Sriman Mahaprabhu) which translates as 'I am actually Your eternal servant, but somehow or the other I have fallen into this material platform full of miseries. Kindly pick up this fallen soul and place me as a particle of dust at Your lotus feet. 

In American or British English, there is a saying: "cut to the chase." It means do not go around the bush, go directly—that is what we all should do; cut to the chase, go directly and surrender to Krsna. When you say you are a fallen soul you must feel that you are a fallen soul, you should not act like a Bollywood star, you should actually feel that you are a fallen soul and pray to Krsna from your heart to uplift you. This is an important message. 

You must have the knowledge or the understanding that you are able to meet with Krsna. All your pious activities cannot help you. Whether you are born as a brahmin in India or as a chandala in Europe, it is only possible by the Causeless mercy of Krsna. It is causeless, there is no bargaining. And that is why whatever Guru Maharaj has given to me is causeless as I do not deserve it, and I cannot repay him. That is what we have to think. It is not that I say, it is all in the shastra; everywhere you read in Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavatam, [you are reminded of] the phrase, "cut to the chase"—go directly and pray for the causeless mercy of Krsna.

—Vidyapati Das (China/Australia)

excerpted and slightly edited from a transcription of Zoom meeting lead by Sri Rasbihari Das on 28/4/2020





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